fawcett



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheetl T. O. PAWOETT.

BRICK PRESSING MACHINERY.

No. 542,729. Patented July 16, 1895.

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4 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Modl.)

T. O. PAWCETT. BRICK PRESSING MACHINERY.

No. 542,729. Patented July 16, 1895.

Z I/VZEg IUH'. $4M? %\IITNE 551-15 No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3, T. C.FAWCETT.

I BRICK PRESSING MAUHINERY. No. 542,729. Patented July 16, 1895..

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

T. 0. FAWGETT.

BRICK PRBSSING MACHINERY.

No. 542,729. Patented July 16,1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. FAWCETT, OF LEEDS, ENGLAND.

BRlCK-PRESSING MACHINERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 542,729, dated July16, 1895.

Application filed January 25, 1895- Serial No. 536J189' N mod To allwhom it may'ooncern:

Be 11; known that I, THoMAs CONSTANTINE FAWCETT,a citizen of GreatBritain, residing a full, clear, and exact description of the in--vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention in brick-pressing machinery is intended to supersedethose machines. worked by screw and operated by manual labor.

My new machine comprises apparatus for pressing the brick, also forequalizing the density of the brick, and for stopping the ma."

chine automatically when a brick is completed.

In order that my improvements may be clearly understood, I will refertotheaccompanying sheets of drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a brick-pressing machine. Fig. 2 is'a side elevation; Fig.3, a vertical section on line a a of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a plan ofself-acting stopping mechanism; Fig. 5, a section on line b b of Fig. 6;Fig. 6, a plan of same; Fig.7, a front elevation of friction drivingmechanism.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the standards or framework ofthe machine.

2 is the upper pressing-plate, made to move up and down bytoggle-jointed levers 3, actuated by crank 4 from the main shaft 5 ofthe machine. On the crank-shaft 5 there is fixed an internal tootheddriving-wheel 6. There are two segments of teeth in this wheel of twodiameters from the center, as shown in Fig. 2. There are also fixed onthe top driving-shaft 7 two cog-wheels 8 and 9, of different diameters,adapted to gear with the teeth in the internal wheel 6, so that a slowerspeed and greater power are imparted to the machine during the action ofbrick-pressing; but the remaining movements of the machine will bequicker because of the altered diameter of the internal wheel and alsobecause of the altered diameter of the driving cog-wheel 9.

In order to press a brick effectually I propose to work thetoggle-levers 3 slightly past and beyond their dead-centers afterassuming a vertical position.

The machine is-started by the workman, who operates the handle 10 andforces sidewise the studs 11 on plate 12 on'the drivingshaft 7, (agroove and a key permitting the sliding to be effected.) The studs 11enter into holes in the driving-pulley 13, which runs loose upon theshaft 7. After the studs enter the holes the shaft is made to revolve;but by the time the pressing operation has been effected and the upperpressing-plate withdrawn from a brick a cam 14 on the outside of theinternal toothed wheel 6 enters into a slot 15 in one end of the bar 16,whereby the ,said cam draws this bar 16 sidewise and withdraws the studs11 from the driving-pulley 13, whereby the machine is stopped. The

wheel 6 has a tendency to rebound and run back, and a lever 17 isemployed carrying a pawl or catch 18, which, when the said wheel 6 runsback, comes into contact with the block 19 on the periphery of wheel 6,whereby any further backward movement of the wheel is prevented. V

\Vhen the machine is started by moving the handle 10, the lever 17 andcatch 18 are drawn s dewise clear of the block 19, setting free theinternal toothed wheel 6.

From the above description it is evident that the machine worksintermittently, stopping at one part of its revolution to permit a bricktobe introduced into position and then restarting again; but themachinemay have a continuous but slow motion imparted to it, as shown inFig. 7, where in this case the starting-handle 10 and sliding part 12are dispensed with.

For the purpose of insuring that all bricks are of the same thickness,whether the quan tity of clay in the mold be always the same or not, Iemploy means for indenting the brick,

such'indentations being deeper or more shallow, according to thequantity of clay in the mold; but whatever depth the indentations may bethe exterior of the brick is the same thickness.

\Vithin the brick-molding die is a rootangular pressingplate 21, andwithin the rectangular plate is the indenting plate or piston 22, whichhas an upward motion of its own independent and apart from therectangular bottom pressing-plate 21. This rectangular bottompressing-plate is attached by vertical rods 23 to a cross-bar 24;, whichcross-bar is connected by other vertical bars 25 to a second crossbar 26passing through the upper pressin g-plate 2, such rectangular bottompressing plate rising and falling with the upper pressing-plate actuatedby the crank 4 of the machine. When the upper pressing-plate begins toascend, the bottom pressing-plate also ascends and takes with it thenewly-pressed brick 27; but when the pressing-plate 21 is at the bottomof the die 20 the. foot of the spindle 28 of the indenting-piston 23 isresting upon a lever 29, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This leveris hinged at 30 and the opposite end thereof is resting upon the toe 31of lever 32, hinged upon a fulcrum 33 and provided with a Weight 34.When the bottom pressing-plate 21 is at-the bottom of the die 20 withall the pressure of the upper plate 2 upon it, the weight 34. isprevented from raising lever 29 and piston 28 by means of a holding-cam35, weighted at 36; but by ,the time the upper pressing-plate 2comfollow after the brick and indent it.

mences to leave the brick the cam 37 on driving-wheel 6 comes intocontact with leverarm 38 and causes the eccentric or cam 35 to beremoved 01f the toe of lever 29, whereupon the weight 34 is set atliberty and raises lever 29 and piston 28, causing the piston 22 to Thusthe brick is of equal thickness, notwithstanding the varying quantity ofclay that is in the mold, the depth of the indent in the brick beingmore or less, according to the quantity of clay in the mold.

In order to enable the newly-molded brick to leave the molding-box withclear sharp edges, I form valves 39 in the head of the piston22, (seeFigs. 5 and 6,) which valves will open by suction when the new brick isbeing removed, and thus atmospheric air will be admitted, whereby thebrick will freely leave the mold. I r

I claim as my invention- 1. In a brick pressing machine, thecombination, with a driving shaft, and a toothed pinion secured thereonof a toothed driving wheel gearing into the said pinion and providedwith a cam and a stop block on its periphery, a slidable starting bar 16for the said cam to engage with thereby automatically stopping themachine, and a pawl carried by the said starting bar and dropping behindthe said stop block when the machine stops, thereby preventing anyreverse movement of the driving wheel, substantially as set forth.

2. In a brick pressing machine, the combination, with a lowerreciprocatory presser plate, and an indenting piston slidable in thesaid presser plate and provided with a'depending stem; of the pivotedlever 29 under the said stem, a cam 35 operating to release the saidlever when the said presser plate commences its upward movement, andoperating mechanism-such as a weighted leverfor raising the aforesaidlever and piston, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.4

THOS. C. FAWCETT.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. CLOUGH, ARTHUR B. CRossLEY.

